At this time of year, many of us fortunate people are buying more at the supermarket, online, and in-store.

To help us all tread a little lighter during this time, our in-house waste minimisation guru recommends these easy ways to reduce our methane emissions and waste going to landfill.

• Returnable, reusable and refillable glass bottles (some beer riggers, some milk bottles, for example) and jars are the best solution for avoiding waste. 

• Paper and cardboard packaging is best. If they stay clean then they can be recycled easily which avoids unwanted methane emissions generated at the landfill. If the paper and cardboard packaging is dirty, it’s best to compost it at home.

• Aluminium cans (beer and soft drink cans) and tin/steel cans (preserved food) are easily recycled and remade into cans over and over again.

• PET (labelled no. 1 on the packaging), HDPE (no. 2) and Polypropylene (PP, no. 5) plastic packaging (bottles, containers and trays) are easy to recycle if clean and dry, and can be made into new products over and over again.

• For us in Ōtepoti Dunedin, the glass bottles and jars we recycle are remade into bottles and jars, but they are transported to Auckland first.

• Home composting bins for food scraps, greasy paper/cardboard, tissues, paper towels and pet waste will provide your soil with important nutrients for plant health and growth. 

There are many different ways to start a home compost, check out the Dunedin City Council’s helpful information on different systems or this handy website with links to recycling guides produced for every council in Aotearoa.

Meri Kirihimete! Happy holidays from all us at Ahikā!